distance
by EverlastingBoba
Summary: They didn't think much of it. He often read at the bench to give Takeo and Rinko some time alone together. She walked by the bench often on her way home or to her favorite cafe. Each encounter is insignificant by itself, but, somehow, the distance between the two changed inch by inch.
1. 6 ft

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

Hey all! While going through my old account, I actually found a couple of old stories/thoughts for this ship that I have written probably a year or two ago. I never finished actually writing the stories that I envisioned, but seeing them and reading them now made me decide to expand on some of them. It would be a shame if my ship head canons for these two remained private.

However, as a result, it has been awhile since I have watched the anime, so some details are a little fuzzy for me. Forgive me if they end up being too OOC or too UNCANON! No matter how old I get, I have a distaste for things like that.

I would like to warn all who decide to venture to this story. This piece is going to be a VERY **SLOW BURN** so romance is going to crawl at a snail's pace. I tend to like writing couples with this kind of pacing, since I get easily embarrassed writing heavily romantic and sexual things xD

Anyways, hopefully I did this ship some justice and I hope you guys enjoy!

* * *

"Hey, thanks for meeting up with me."

Mariya Saijou tucked her hair behind her ear as she fidgeted a little. She felt slightly embarrassed, remembering how she asked the boy in front of her to meet her in front of a particular bench in the park.

Makoto Sunakawa has always been a man with few words, so he shrugged his shoulders in response.

"No problem. I figured it was important due to how I received your message."

Saijou felt her face flush in embarrassment at her own obliviousness as she recalled how she contacted him. It looked like a classic love confession, her delivering a letter at Suna's locker that told him that she needed to talk to him in the park at the bench where he comforted her. It did not occur to her how romantic it seemed until she heard the teasing of her friends. Albeit, she wondered how she did not predict this sort of implication.

Even now, the scene seemed right out of a typical romance anime. The day was bright and sunny, leaving in its wake a clear blue sky with little clouds in sight. The trees were gently rustling, shedding occasional flower blossoms as the wind caressed their hair.

She abjectly admitted her logic at the time. "Yes, it was rather dramatic, but I was unsure how to reach you otherwise. It is hard enough that we do not have the same classes anymore, but we rarely cross paths. I figured that a letter in your locker would be the best way of communicating privately."

Understanding her intentions, he placed his hand on the back of his neck and nodded. The girl cleared her throat in preparation, as Suna waited patiently for the girl to get around to the purpose of their meeting.

Saijou knew that she needed to get to the point so she explained, "Well, I never felt like I properly thanked you for comforting me that day. It was really kind of you, so I just made you some cookies."

With that, she brandished out a simple bag of freshly baked cookies tied with a white ribbon and presented it to him.

Trying to reassure the boy to accept her gift, she added, "I asked Yamato-chan to make sure that you liked this kind of cookies."

Suna felt surprised. He knew that Saijou kept in touch with Takeo from time to time but not Yamato. It would normally leave some tense tension between the two due to them liking the same guy.

"You guys talk?"

Saijou smiled as she responded, "Not often, but we do message each other from time to time. I ran into her some time ago and we ended up exchanging phone numbers."

Suna felt glad how the whole situation with Takeo and Saijou diffused, even with the conflict between Yamato and Saijou. It could have been a lot worse and could have caused a lot more drama, but it did not. The situation was maturely settled and he was grateful it was.

He smiled at her words and reached out to accept her present.

"Thank you Saijou-san for your consideration. I appreciate it."

She laughed a little as she commented cheekily, "Don't thank me yet. You haven't tried them yet."

"Then, do you mind that I try one right now?"

"Of course, I gave them to you for a reason."

They both sat down on the bench on opposite ends, keeping a respectful distance away from each other. Unwrapping the bag, Suna took one cookie out and bit it.

He coolly gave a small nod of approval and complimented, "I like it a lot. You made it very well."

Saijou laughed out of relief.

"I'm glad! I was worried that I messed up the recipe or you would not like it."

As they sat on the bench, they caught up with each other, talking about how things have changed the last time they have seen each other. It has been some time since they interacted.

Time passed and soon, it became rather late. Suna, noticing how the skies have gotten darker, offered Saijou to walk her home. She politely declined, stating how her house is not far from the park so it would be unnecessary.

"You're always offering to help me. I appreciate it, but hey, if you need anything, just let me know. I would be more than happy to help," she smiled.

She waved cheerily, remarking, "See you around!" and he waved back as they both went their separate ways.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S THOUGHTS:**

Thank you for sticking with me! I wonder how many people would actually read this, ehehe.

The way this story is going to be structured would not be in chronological order. I want each moment that I write to be scattered, so the readers are free to use their imaginations to imagine their interactions before and after each moment! Maybe each moment in this story where they've seen each other at the iconic bench were two years apart? Or only a month? Yay for slow burn!

Although, I admit, the way that I wrote each moment was in chronological order so I wonder if you guys would be able to piece out my thoughts~

One of the reasons why I never fully elaborated these thoughts before is because of how hard it is for me to write Suna and Saijou's characters. Saijou, especially, was difficult because I had to make many assumptions about her personality through only 2 episodes. I think I get a gist of who she is, but it was hard analyzing her motives/personality through the few interactions she had.

Additionally, I can totally see Suna being asexual and Saijou not being interested in Suna, period, but I can also see them together as well. Curse all of those glances and hints that the anime/manga seemed to drop! It got me on board and it never sailed... but hey, that is what fanfiction is for!

I apologize if I made any errors in grammar or anything technical, but this was just a quick way of me of releasing all of my shipping feels. Hopefully you guys enjoyed it! If not, I'm sorry TT^TT


	2. 3 ft, 6 in

**Author's Note:** This, too, has been sitting around awhile and finally felt the energy to upload it! This moment was suppose to be a response to when Saijou gave Suna a Valentine's Gift. Yay chocolates! Hope you enjoy~

UPDATE: I changed this chapter a bit since I did not like the way I wrote it before. It felt awkward and sudden. I made some edits towards the end. Hopefully you guys will enjoy the rewrite better, and if you haven't read its previous version, well, maybe that's for the best~~ Haha, thank you for checking this story out!

* * *

White Day.

The day was rapidly approaching and Takeo was freaking out over what to get Yamato. He has been worrying about it for over a week, so it took Suna some time to comfort and help him with his dilemma. Besides, he knew that Yamato would love anything that Takeo gives her.

After he helped Takeo, Suna turned towards his own White Day gifts.

Suna started going through his list of Valentines that he has received and robotically made his White Day packages. It was standard and nothing unusual. However, in the middle of his work, he paused as his eyes fell upon a single girl's name.

Mariya Saijou.

She was not necessarily CLOSE, but they were not distant enough for her to receive the same exact obligatory chocolates he would normally send out to his Valentines. It did not seem proper of him to send her these ordinary gifts as everyone else.

As he finished making hers and moved onto the others, Suna wondered if she would notice that hers was a little more personal from the others he normally sends out.

When White Day arrived, Suna was surrounded by girls the entire school day. They were all eager to receive gifts from the handsome boy. Putting on their best appearances and their most attractive smiles, the females lurked near him, hoping that somehow, a miracle would happen and he would be smitten by one of them.

As the day passed, Suna wondered how he would give his gift to Saijou. They did not have the same class and their paths do not cross often in the school. The exceptional swarm of girls surrounding him did not help as well. Remembering how she would walk by the same bench to walk back home, he figured that it would be the best chance of him meeting up with her. Luckily, the quantity of fangirls usually diminishes by the time he exits the school.

His prediction was proved correct when he noticed the young girl walking down the same path as she normally goes. He stood up to make himself more present and waited for her to walk by. As she got closer, she noticed his presence and slowed down to a stop in front of him. Suna never waited for her before so she wondered what he would have needed from her.

She inquired, "Sunakawa-san? Do you need something from me? Is there-"

He raised his hand to stop her from overanalyzing the situation and apologized.

"Sorry to approach you like this so suddenly, but I wanted to give you this."

He reached out and offered his White Day gift for her. Her eyes widened a little in surprise as she remembered that she did give him a Valentine's gift last month. There was a slight pause as her thoughts and emotions raced to register the surprise before giving him a small smile. Saijou accepted the package from him, sweetly thanking him.

Feeling the package around her fingers, Saijou admired how prettily packaged and neat it was. It would have taken her forever in order to wrap a package as well as this.

Curse him and his long slim fingers.

She mused aloud, "Wow, the package is so pretty. It almost makes me feel bad for having to rip it off… Almost! Ehehe"

The boy put his hands into his pockets and answered, "Thanks. I'm glad you like it."

Saijou sat down on the bench to open her gift and Suna followed suit and took a seat at the other end of the bench to watch her reaction. Staring at the package in front of her, she felt his eyes focused on her face.

Analyzing her slightest reactions.

The brunette felt sweat forming on the back of her neck and her face reddening from embarrassment. Her stomach fluttered in nervousness, intensifying how self-conscious she felt. How is she supposed to unwrap the present when his eyes are trained on her like that?

She can't open it. Not yet. Most definitely, not in front of him.

With a sheepish grin, she turned to the boy apologetically.

"...Actually, Suna, I think I will open this later. I am much too full from my lunch earlier today and I do not think I can handle seeing more chocolate at the moment. I got so excited that I forgot how full I am," she chuckled.

Feeling a twinge of disappointment but promptly shook it off, he shrugged his shoulders in two soon made small talk until a comfortable silence fell between them. Just peacefully being in each other's presence was comforting. They did not really have words to exchange and yet they felt rather at ease.

Later that night, Saijou opened Suna's package to discover numerous tissues surrounding the foiled chocolates.

Hah, what a strange sense of humor.

She felt herself chuckle bemusedly as she wondered how the other girls' White Day chocolates from him differed from hers. Did he normally cover chocolates with tissues or was this his own personal gesture towards her? If the latter was true, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of amusement and appreciation towards the sender. What was it supposed to suggest anyway? Was it supposed to imply... _something_?

...

No, of course not.

The brunette dismissed that thought immediately. It's best not to think about this stuff. Not while there are better things she could be doing, like eating those chocolates right in front of her.

She bit into one of them and reveled its taste. It was smooth and rich, melting in her mouth almost instantly. Of course he would give out one of the best-tasting chocolates she has ever had. **What can't he do?**

Saijou plopped another piece into her mouth and her thoughts focused towards the boy in question. Did he make them himself? Did he get help from Yamato to make these chocolates so divine?

Ah, she had too many questions and not enough answers. This curiosity would be the end of her. The girl hardened her resolve and made a mental note to herself. Take the time to tell Suna how much she liked her gift...and to figure out how he acquired these chocolates and how she can get them herself.


	3. 4 ft, 8 in

**AN:** 'Ello! I would like to point that when I wrote this, I have already read other fanfictions putting this pairing in a similar situation. However, I decided to add my own personal interpretation on how the situation would have been handled. It definitely is not original haha, so I definitely cannot take credit for thinking about this overused moment. This current chapter was written a long time ago, but I decided to go back to my old files, do a quick polish up, and publish it for the poor people who are probably suffering from the lack of Suna/Saijou material. I have been there! Without further ado, please excuse my horrible writing abilities and hopefully you enjoy..!

* * *

"Hi!"

Recognizing her voice, even from far away, Suna looked up from his book and saw a waving Saijou making her way towards the bench.

At this point, he shouldn't be surprised to see her coming this way.

Her smile brightened when the boy turned his attention towards her. A little tired from her walk, she plopped down onto the bench and tossed her bag onto the side hazardly.

"You know, I was just on my way to my favorite cafe. It's just across the street in the little corner. They have the best desserts in this town, and I think you might like it too!" she gushed.

She knew how much Suna liked reading so she pointedly added, "They have a really impressive library, so it is definitely worth checking out."

That perked up his interest a little. He was always in pursuit of more books to read and add to his immense collection and instantly felt more intrigued about this cafe.

Knowing that she had the bookworm's full attention, she just needed to convince him a little bit more to seal the deal.

Saijou elaborated on the book system that the cafe had and how books are constantly being exchanged amongst the customers. One would take a book with them but leave one of their own personal books for someone else to pick up. Since the cafe is a hidden jewel in the town, it developed a small but strong community of trusted customers. They all knew that they would not steal any of the books and would respect the books as they should be treated.

After processing all the information, Suna was sold. With a gentle smile, he gave into Saijou's insistence.

"I'll check it out sometime then."

She could not resist jesting with him as she smugly laughed.

"Ehehe, it is my favorite for a reason~"

With a triumphant chuckle, Saijou stood up from her seat and brushed her skirt from the dust that rested on the bench.

She grabbed her bag that was resting on the side and turned to Suna.

"Alright, well I should start heading over there now." He nodded in understanding and gave her a small wave. In response, she waved back happily as she started to turn and walk away from him. "Bye bye!"

Once she turned away fully, Suna opened up the book that he was reading prior. However, it was not long until he heard deep, husky voices mixed in with Saijou's voice. Glancing up from his book, he can see in the corner of his eye, two guys hovering around her. It was easy to see what was going on.

Almost instinctively, he swept in and narrowed his focus on Mariya, paying no mind to the two men. To establish familiarity with the girl to the strangers, he purposely stepped close to her.

"There you are, Saijou-san."

To his voice, she turned her face to make direct eye contact with him. It felt like a small spark as their eyes conveyed emotions that could not be said aloud. Although her eyes were surprised, she seemed to understand what he was trying to do. He saw a quick flash of relief across her face and that was all the confirmation he needed to continue intervening.

Placing his hand on her shoulder, he strategically used his body to block her from the other guys.

"You were talking about the cafe earlier, right? Let me walk you there so I can take a look at its library."

In response, the men glared at Suna and grumbled under their breaths about pretty boys always stealing all the girls. Needless to say, they got the message. The strangers turned around and walked away. Saijou and Suna watched their backs completely disappearing from sight before turning to each other. Instantly noticing their rather close proximity, Suna stepped back to give Saijou more space.

With a sigh of relief, the girl gave her rescuer a big grin. "Thank you, Sunakawa-kun. I was just about to tell them off before you came in…" Saijou trailed off.

The boy answered, "No problem. I'm glad that you're okay," while adjusting his bag. He did hastily stuffed his book inside and slung it around him beforehand.

Still reeling from the incident, Saijou felt her emotions rage as her relief turned into anger. Her features scrunched up and contorted her features with anger and disgust. Arms crossed, her eyes ignited a tiny flame in them.

"Hmph, I'm glad that they're gone anyway. Scumbags like them really make me mad! I should have given them a piece of my mind!"

As much as she seethed, they were not worth her time. In an attempt to distract herself from her anger, she decided to focus on another topic, one that left her pondering about his intentions.

Eyeing the boy, she inquired, "Anyways, did you really mean what you said earlier? About coming with me to the cafe? I thought you were planning to check it out later, but you don't have to come with me, if you don't want to."

Deep down, she knew the answer to her question but the girl had her doubts. Although he probably said that without thinking to get the perverts off her back, Saijou also knew that Suna is a sincere man. He was the type of person who would mean what he say.

Suna seemed a bit surprised at her question and contemplated his previous actions. Although he did make his decision rather spontaneously, he did feel sincere with he said. It did not rub off to him in a bad way and spending time with her is not a bad thing.

He rubbed the back of his neck as he affirmed smoothly, "Yeah, I'm already up from the bench anyways. I could use a change of scenery."

Instantly, her face brightened and her brown eyes twinkled with excitement. "Okay then! Let me treat you to something there then as a small thank you…!" she grinned.

Suna didn't really need a thank you as any decent person would have stepped in to help. However, the brunette insisted, vigorously stating that it would be rude of her to not do so.

As they started walking towards the cafe side by side, he just remembered that he closed his book without properly leaving his bookmark inside.

...

Ah well.

Seeing her face flood with relief made it all worth it.

* * *

 **AN:** Can I have a little shout-out to the one anon who commented on this story! Thank you for noticing me. It was you that helped give me the motivation to finally put my butt in gear and upload more material for this ship! It is very hard to stay inspired and motivated to think of more content, so any sign of support is greatly appreciated. This ship has very VERY little material so the peeps who ship it need to stick together haha. Please have a good day, everyone~~


	4. 2 ft, 3 in

**AN:** Man, at this point, I have no idea if I'm staying in character or not since it has been so long since I've watched Ore Monogatari. Because of that, trying to elaborate on the ideas that I had sitting on my Google Doc years ago is super hard. I admit that I am not a good writer, but my lack of knowledge on these characters really DO NOT give the series or these characters justice. I feel like every time I try updating this fic, it feels flat. Like the characters are one-dimensional and not multi-faceted. Good writers out there make writing look easy! (so please appreciate them whenever you can haha) To everyone out there, I'm sorry you have to deal with this lousy person for more content on this ship TT^TT regardless, please enjoy it as much as possible?

* * *

"Sunakawa-san!"

Makoto Sunakawa turned around towards the source of the cheery voice and saw Mariya Saijou running up to him with her hand firmly grasping her bag strap on her shoulder. He waited a few moments for her to catch up to him.

Still a little out of breath, she bent down to help regulate her breathing. "I heard... it was your birthday...so I got you... a little... something!"

Looking down at the crouched girl, he apathetically stated,"You didn't have to…"

She dismissed that notion with a flippant wave of her hand as she straightened her figure to dig into her bag with her other hand.

"You've done so much for me, so this is the least I can do," she declared with finality.

She wasn't going to change her mind, was she? Suna blinked and looked off to the side apathetically. "...It is what anyone would have done."

Her face scrunched up at his comment. "Hey, don't talk down on yourself and stop making such cool comments. Geez, not everyone is as kind as you, you know."

Taking out a rather small rectangular-sized present from her purse, she turned towards Suna and flourished her gift to him with her arms extended.

"Happy birthday~!"

As soon as he took the package, Saijou excitedly sat down next to him with her legs criss-crossed towards him. She looked like a child who is eager to please her parents with her body language and the look in her eyes. Suna couldn't help but notice how her bright brown eyes shimmered with mirth. Were her eyes always this rich and warm?

"Open it! I wanna see your reaction when you see what I got you."

Hearing her outburst quickly snapped Suna out of his contemplation. A light uneasiness sunk into his stomach as he realized how intensely he took in her eyes. He shifted his eyes away from hers and turned it towards the package in his hands.

Right. The present.

The package itself was rather small as it could easily fit into the palm of his hand. The wrapping was loose, but the baby blue stripes with a white background print added personality to it. Topped off with a dark blue ribbon bow, the entire ensemble would made it a rather charming yet elegant present, if not for the clumsy wrapping. Cute.

Peeling off the wrapping paper, Suna's eyes widened at the gift.

"This is…"

"Yup! It's the book that the classic horror movie is based on."

Suna opened his book a little and flipped through several random pages. The sweet, musky smell and the crisp sound of the pages turning raptured him. It felt like home. While he was checking out his new book, Saijou took in his soft brown eyes. Objectively, his eyes were always nice, but when they lit up, tinged with anticipation and excitement, it was a whole new story. A gentle warmth spread throughout her body.

Adjusting her legs to make herself more comfortable on the bench, she elaborated on the book. "I noticed you eyeing it when we went to the cafe together. At that point, I knew I just had to go get it for you. I never took you as a person who enjoys horror."

At that, he ended his inspection of the book and closed it gently. His thumb rubbing the smooth cover of the book, his eyes turned towards her with a faint smile on his lips.

"I enjoy a lot of things."

Saijou snorted in amusement at his quip. "Hah. The book does look pretty interesting though, so tell me how it goes, okay? I liked that movie so I want to know how the book differs from it."

"You can always look it up."

"Well, yeah I can but I don't just want the plain, cold details of it. I want to hear it from your perspective. I want to know what you think."

Touched from her honesty, the man smiled fondly. "Fair point."

A pause of silence fell between the two, which happens often, but this instance felt different. It was filled with the gentle wisps of an affectionate warmth, one that glowed softly like a kindling fire. The little embers did not seem much at first, but over time, it budded into something else. However, the longer they basked in its presence, the more uneasy it felt. What it may be blooming into, the pair did not know how to deal with it. It was unknown territory and they were not ready to cross it.

Suna looked away and re-crossed his legs, breaking the moment they were sharing. His eyes peered towards her to maintain a strictly friendly ambiance but it was not as focused on her as it was before. "How did you find out when my birthday is?"

At that, she looked a little relieved as the conversation went towards more familiar territory. It was safe.

"Hmmm...I might have done a little snooping, and you were no help at all! You should have told me that your birthday was coming up from the last time we have met up."

He shrugged in response. "I did not feel like it was necessary."

Her voice was indignant as she commented on his indifference. "Tch, of course you're too humble to not tell anyone about this. Well, I'm glad you're here and if you're not going to be excited for your birthday, then I'll be twice as excited for you."

His eyes twinkled a little in amusement. "I'll hold you to it then."

The sounds of vibration broke their moment as Saijou turned to her phone in her bag. Pulling out her cell phone and reading the message, it was time for her to go. Saijou dropped her phone in her purse and zipped it close in preparation to leave.

Turning back towards Suna, her eyes seemed apologetic for her departure as she stood up from the bench. "Anyways, I gotta get going. I'm sure that you must have other plans as well."

"Not necessarily."

Saijou was undeterred at his indifference towards his birthday. "Well, you can never know. The future can be unpredictable like that!" she replied with an even bigger grin.

Without giving him time to think about her words, she waved goodbye as she started to walk away from him. He felt a little puzzled as he watched her back slowly disappear in the distance. Was she trying to imply something to him?

As Saijou walked away, she felt a little relieved to leave the conversation. After all, if she stayed any longer, she could have accidently given away the surprise Takeo and Yamato planned for the birthday boy. She never thought of herself good at keeping secrets, and with the way Takeo was rambling about Suna's birthday for weeks, it really is a big one.

Planning a part of Suna's birthday plans was something Saijou was not anticipating. She was initially just going to give him his present and that's it. However, last month, when she would hang out with her master and sometimes his girlfriend, the brunette would hear tidbits of their planned surprises for their friend. Needless to say, their excitement towards Suna's birthday was contagious. Their energy fed into her own emotional and personal investment with their plans. Sooner or later, Saijou was bouncing multiple ideas with them, going over every meticulous detail to help provide the handsome young adult the best birthday ever.

It was a shame that she had to help her mother with the house so she won't be able to see his surprised face when their friends unleash their giant surprise on him. Maybe if she finishes early, she can make it at the end...

She continued to go along her way, her thoughts cluttered with differing scenarios of Suna reacting to his birthday surprise. Her mouth unknowingly crept into a grin as she whispered bemusedly.

"Enjoy your birthday party, Suna~"

Far away, at that same exact moment, Suna felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. Weird...Was it just him or did the wind tried to whisper something to him?


	5. 7 ft, 9 in

**AN:** Wow, I've been somewhat good with updating for once. I would congratulate myself if I didn't know that I would be such trash and release even more trash into the public. Sorry! One should have more confidence in writing, but honestly, I try my best not to look back on my past writings, because i CRINGE every single time haha. I think I post solely to pass some time and to give to the fandom what I've always wanted: more stuff on my ships! Especially those who do not get recognition or do not have a lot of material for them. It sucks, so hopefully this story would somewhat suffice.

But hey, shout out to the latest reviewer, DebesteIsTheBest! I appreciate it although I am fairly apologetic that you must accept trash writing by someone who fell out of the fandom. I still have a soft spot for this pairing, but, my readers, it has been so long haha. Regardless, I hope you all enjoy and keep that ship afloat!

* * *

Saijou couldn't tell if the wetness of her cheeks was primarily from the gentle drizzle or from her tears, but she couldn't care less at the moment.

Right here, right now, this moment was about them: the two figures standing in the rain like a bunch of idiotic protagonists in a really cheesy soap opera. Any bystanders would have considered this romantic, a scene right out of a movie, of two lovers dramatically flaunting their hidden desire and passion for each other. However, the air between the two spoke for themselves.

It was completely tense, threatening to suffocate those ensnared by its pull.

She always hated how her emotions always seemed to show right in her eyes as she stared down at the man in front of her. But this time, she relished it. She wanted him to feel her anger: to make him have a taste of the storm of emotions engulfing her.

She forced her voice to sound firm as if she wasn't breaking in the inside. As if he couldn't tell already from the shattering despair in her eyes. "Well? Do you have anything to say about this?"

To his credit, Suna never broke her gaze as she glared daggers into his being. His hand was at the back of his neck in an apologetic manner. As if that made things better. "...I'm sorry you had to find out that way."

So it was true after all. The woman clenched her fists even harder and felt them shaking a little. "Why would you even hide this from me?" She could actually think of a million of reasons why, but that shouldn't have mattered. They were friends! They were... close, even if she wouldn't admit it verbally. Saijou thought that their bond ran deeper than this, but she must have been wrong.

At that, her voice broke into a soft whisper, exuding out the pain she has been harboring inside of her all this time. " ...Did you even stop and think that this doesn't just affect… you...? Have you considered how...I would have felt? Am I that..that INSIGNIFICANT to you?"

His response was immediate at that. Strong and absolute. "That's not it." It would have been reassuring to her if it weren't all the other emotions swirling inside of her. The short assertion was like a small life preserver being thrown in a typhoon. Touching, but it meant very little in the large scheme of the situation at hand.

Suna's voice softened as his eyes shifted down to the ground. Saijou no longer had a clear peripheral of his eyes, but she thought she saw... something flashing in his normally apathetic eyes just now. "I'm sorry. I just… didn't want to bother you. You already had enough on your plate."

Of course it was that reason. She figured, but it didn't reduce any amount of pain she was feeling at this moment. He really was too selfless for his own good. Why does he have to be like this? If only he can just…!

Saijou noticed her thoughts getting out of hand so she forced herself to take a deep breath. She needed to focus them in order to get him to understand. Suna needed to know this, not for her, but for himself. Get it smacked into his stupidly dense skull over and over until it's ingrained permanently. "I'm just sick of you... **hiding** things! This wasn't the first time you hid something and it honestly hurts! When you hide things, it hurts people, okay? It hurts **me** …!"

She should have been used to it at this point. People were always hiding _something_ from her. Growing up, she slowly became numb to the "secret" glances she got for her developing figure. The "supposedly subtle" whispers about her that shamed her for her size, they too were a constant. It made her feel all sick inside, as if people were only putting on their polite faces just so they can stab her in the back when they think she's not looking. She knew those moments weren't the same as this particular situation, but it felt just the same. "I am not daft. I notice."

As she gazed at the man in front of her, she could see the wave of emotions flickering in his eyes. Saijou has improved phenomenally at reading him, a skill that she took pride in. Only at this moment, she wished she wasn't able to see him. It would be easier to yell and scream when she didn't understand him as well as she does now. Maybe then, the emotional conflict gleaming in his eyes wouldn't be killing her inside like this.

Words didn't have to speak for him; his ridiculously soft brown eyes showed more than enough. She knew that as soon as she felt the raw emotions flowing from them. He meant well, right? So why does that not subdue the gnawing pain that rests at her soul? Her emotions weren't wrong. It didn't feel that way to her at least. These feelings of anger, shock, sadness, and hurt... they are what they are. She can't help what she feels. However, she does know that her emotions are important and need to be addressed. She had that life lesson from Suna already a long time ago.

"Listen… Suna… I don't know what's really the right thing, who's right or who's wrong, and I don't think it really matters at this moment. However, I just can't dismiss my feelings like nothing happened."

Saijou bit her lip as she thought about how she felt. The swirling emotions were too complicated for her right now; they weren't going to be solved by a simple conversation. Maybe what she needed… was time.

She met his eyes very briefly, but during that second, she knew what she needed to do. "I…I think I need some time alone." Not waiting for a response, she quickly muttered, "Please excuse me," as she dipped her head low and ran away. Her thoughts raced with every step she took, plopping against the shallow puddles in the pavement. In the back of her mind, she thought she saw Suna started to reach towards her as she turned away.

Hah, yeah right. It's not like some small part of her selfishly wanted him to stop watching her go and actually go after her. It's definitely not like she knew deep inside, her heart would absolutely flutter if he decided to be selfish for one freaking moment and run after her. It must be the rain that has made her a sentimental fool.

…..

….

…

..

They really are a bunch of idiots, aren't they?

* * *

 **AN:** Whoooot, whoot drama!

You can't have a ship sailing away without any waves to test its foundation and stability! I'm so used to writing fluff so it was refreshing to write up something dramatic. I've been meaning to write something angsty for these two, since I figured that fighting/tension/drama is a part of any relationship you have. It was hard imagining what they would fight about (I can't even IMAGINE what Takeo and Rinko would fight about?), so I tried my best to keep it vague. What I had in mind for their fight was just lack of communication or a conflict in interests. Don't worry too much about the fight! Time will always heal. How much time, eh, I leave it to you guys haha.

I wrote this with no one at fault, per say, but with just a focus on Saijou's emotions since when I imagine how she feels, I can relate it to my own. With Suna, I can't figure out that balance of stoic, kindness, understanding, loyalty, weird sense of humor: all the things that we love about this character! I kept this chapter solely in Saijou's perspective, because honestly, writing Suna is just a mystery for me? It's really hard for me, and I feel more confident writing Saijou. IDK regardless, I'm sorta curious to see how you guys would interpret whatever mess I just laid out to you!

In regards of future chapters, of course, I cannot stray far from my fluffy roots since I'm such a freaking sap. The next time I update, it will be something fluffy as always but there is no telling when I will actually have it ready. Please bare with me!


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